Christine Grant begins term as 2022 AIChE president

On January 1, 2022, Professor Christine Grant commenced her term as president of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). With more than 60,000 members from more than 110 countries the AIChE is the premier technical society in the world for chemical engineers. Serving as AIChE president is a 3-year commitment that spans the pre-presidential year, the presidential year and the post-presidential year.

Prof. Grant, an Institute Fellow, has served the Institute as a member of the Board of Directors, Chair of the Minority Affairs Committee and a member of the Chemical Technology Operating Council (CTOC). She is a recipient of the Institute’s William W. Grimes Award for Excellence in Chemical Engineering. Dr. Grimes was the first African-American Fellow of the AIChE. The award recognizes a chemical engineer’s outstanding achievements in the chemical engineering profession and as a distinguished role model for underrepresented minorities.

Outside of the Institute, Prof. Grant’s accomplishments as an educator, leader and mentor have been recognized by achievement awards from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the American Chemical Society (ACS), the National Organization of Black Chemists & Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE), the Georgia Institute of Technology, and the Council for Chemical Research, among others.

In recognition of Prof. Grant’s successes in promoting STEM careers at all levels among underrepresented populations, the National Science Foundation (NSF) honored her with the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring, which is “one of the Nation’s highest honors for mentors who work with underrepresented groups to develop fully the Nation’s human resources in STEM.”

Prof. Grant is a co-editor of the book, “Success Strategies from Women in STEM: A Portable Mentor” by Elsevier/Academic Press and she has contributed chapters to “Growing Diverse STEM Communities: Methodologies, Impact and Evidence” (2019) and the ACS Book “Overcoming Barriers for Women of Color in STEM Fields” (2020).

She serves as the Inaugural Associate Dean of Faculty Advancement in the College of Engineering and is currently working on a sabbatical assignment with the NSF. She earned her Sc.B. degree in chemical engineering at Brown University and her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in chemical engineering at Georgia Tech.

Congratulations President Christine Grant!

This post was originally published in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.